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Yussef El Guindi

YUSSEF EL GUINDI

  
Nationality:    USA
facebook     email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    The Gersh Agency, NY  represented by Leah Hamos

Born in egypt, raised in London and now based in Seattle, el Guindi received a B.A. from American University in Cairo and a 1985 MFA in playwriting from Carnegie-Mellon University. He frequently examines the collision of ethnicities, cultures and politics that face arab-Americans. He has had at least 16 plays produced since 2001 in regional Theaters from Durham to anchorage. at the same time, he has worked as resident playwright at Silk Road Theatre Project; literary manager for Golden Thread Productions in San Francisco; playwright in residence, Dramaturg and lecturer at Duke University; and Dramaturg for eureka Theatre and reader for the Magic Theatre, both in San Francisco.

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below is a list of Yussef El Guindi's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Acts Of Desire         Back Of the Throat         Hostages         Jihad Jones And the Kalashnikov Babes         Karima's City         Language Rooms         Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat         Pilgrims Musa And Sheri In the New World         Ramayana, The         Sniper, The         Such A Beautiful Voice Is Sayeda's         Ten Acrobats In An Amazing Leap Of Faith         Three Wolves and a Lamb         Threesome

Acts Of Desire

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, Ca     28 Oct 2005

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Back Of the Throat

Synopsis:
Following a heinous terrorist attack, an arab American writer is visited by two government officials. What begins as a friendly inquiry soon devolves into a full-blown investigation of his presumed ties to terrorists. at times surreal and comic, the play examines the way in which facts, evidence, and (mis)perceptions are used to distort the truth and how racial profiling impacts the relationship between the accusers and the accused.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
the Flea

1st Published:
Dramatist Play Service, NY, 2007   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Hostages

Synopsis:
Two British professors have left their homeland for a war-zone. they are there on a mission of peace, but peace is hard to find when you are chained to a radiator. Hostages explores the intricacies of human nature when it is deprived of personal contact and torn from the pleasantries of everyday life.
- nytheatre.com

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Miscreant Theatre Company

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Jihad Jones And the Kalashnikov Babes

Synopsis:
Ashraf is an actor who has just received rave reviews for his performance of Hamlet at a struggling theatre in Los Angeles. But he's only earning $200 a week and he's having trouble paying the bills. He needs his big break. And that's just what his smarmy agent is offering: a starring role in a Hollywood blockbuster. Big money, working for his favorite director, and playing opposite his favorite Tinsel Town starletAll Ashraf has to do is play the most stereotypically evil, fanatical Islamic terrorist ever to grace the silver screen. JIHAD JONES follows Ashraf as he battles the infamous slippery slope, while hilariously balancing his personal ethics and cultural pride against his professional ambition.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Adrienne Theater, Philadelphia, Pa    

Organisations:
InterAct Theater Company

1st Published:
Dramatist Play Service, NY   978-0822231776

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Karima's City

Synopsis:
Karima's beloved city is changing around her. the seeds-and-nuts vendor, the fruit seller and the butcher who used to greet her each morning no longer do. everywhere concrete monstrosities are rising, and the trees are vanishing. these changes are making Karima physically ill, and she can no longer keep silent. But whenever she speaks her mind, all manner of suffering befalls her. In a society that judges iconoclasts shameful, dangerous and a menace, it slowly becomes apparent that Karima's devastating fate has already been written. Touching on issues of enormous significance in the Islamic world, this finely wrought play bubbles with unexpected charm and humor as it leads to its inexorable conclusion

Notes:
adapted from short stories by Salwa Bakr

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatist Play Service, NY,    -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play One act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  6 to 7 actors can play the 25 roles

Further Reference:
-

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Language Rooms

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Wilma Theater, Philadelphia, Pa     03 Mar 2010

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat

Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Silk Road Rising, Chicago     01 Mar 2008

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Contained in: "Four Arab American Plays" published by MacFarland 2013   978-0786474868

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Pilgrims Musa And Sheri In the New World

Synopsis:
Anyone who has ever looked for love know the dilemma. Do you make a safe, sensible match? Or take a risk on an exciting someone who mightjust mightbe the One Great Romance of your life? Musa, an Egyptian immigrant, and Sheri, a very quirky Caucasian waitress, must negotiate the twists and turns of not only love but cultural expectations in this charming romantic comedy with a delightful twist.

Notes:
won the $25,000 Steinberg/aTCa Award for the best new play from American regional theater in 2011.

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatist Play Service, NY
Contained in: "American Theatre Magazine" September 2012   978-0822231752

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
romantic comedy

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Ramayana, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Written by Yussef El Guindi and Stephanie Timm. Based on the Hindi epic "The Ramayana"

1st Produced:
Act, Seattle, Wa     12 Oct 2012

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Sniper, The

Synopsis:
John an anti-war activist gets worked up when a female fellow activist disappears

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Magic Theater, Laguna, San Francisco     2005

Organisations:
Golden Thread Productions

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Short play

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Such A Beautiful Voice Is Sayeda's

Synopsis:
In its first few pages SUCH a BeaUTIFUL VOICe IS SaYeDa's transports you to another world. Here, Islam hangs in the very air you breathe; spirits, or Jinns, may lurk near; flattering dresses and lipstick are evidence of infidelity; and a woman singing can bring dishonor and ruin to herself and her family. Lyrical and delicate, and suffused with moments of haunting theatricality, this exploration of the oppression of the human spirit is a perfect jewel of the one-act art.

Notes:
adapted from short stories by Salwa Bakr

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatist Play Service, NY,    -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play One act

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  6            Other:  doubling possible

Further Reference:
-

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Ten Acrobats In An Amazing Leap Of Faith

Ten Acrobats In An Amazing Leap Of Faith
An Arab-American family saga

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Silk Road Rising, Chicago     13 Oct 2003

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Contained in: "Salaam Peace: An Anthology Of Middle eastern American Drama" published by Theatre Communications Group 2009   978-1559363327

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Three Wolves and a Lamb

Synopsis:
A Palestinian and a Jewish married couple gather their friends together to plan a peace camphor young people

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Thick House, San Francisco     23 Jul 2010

Organisations:
Playwrights Foundation

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Threesome

Synopsis:
Leila and Rashid, Egyptian Americans with ties to Cairo, attempt to solve their relationship issues by inviting a relative stranger into their bedroom to engage in a threesome. What begins as a hilariously awkward evening soon becomes an experience fraught with secrets, raising issues of sexism, possession and independence.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Portland Center Stage, Ellen Bye Studio, Portland, Oregon     24 Jan 2015

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
comedy

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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